


as dreamers do

by Cones_McMurphy



Category: Andi Mack (TV)
Genre: And softness, Angst, But very close to canon, Fluff, I don't think there's any swearing?, Jonah's family backstory is different, M/M, Not Canon Compliant, Original Character Death(s), based on 3x14 (Hammer Time), but I promise the jyrus stuff is all fluff, title obviously from the disney song bc I am a sappy bitch lol, yeah this starts off sorta sad
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-23
Updated: 2019-07-23
Packaged: 2020-07-11 21:31:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19934815
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cones_McMurphy/pseuds/Cones_McMurphy
Summary: Jonah Beck has a complicated relationship with the stars.





	as dreamers do

**Author's Note:**

> I didn't have a beta. I edited myself, but I likely missed things. I hope you guys like it!

The thing about wishes, is they don’t always come true. 

Jonah’s earliest memory was of stargazing when he was four years old. His mother had taken him out to look at the stars before then, wanting her son to love the stars as much as she did, but he had no memory of it. Jonah’s mother had always loved the stars; in fact, she loved the stars so much that she dedicated her life to studying them. She would take him out on their porch, even as a baby, and point out all the shooting stars and constellations and nebulas and planets that could be seen from small town Utah, which turned out to be a lot. And then he grew into a toddler, and they would lay out on the grass in the backyard. She taught him everything he knew about the stars, including how to love them. Her voice was so soft and warm, and sometimes he still felt her in the breeze on a summer night. 

Jonah wished on a shooting star the night after her funeral, still in the suit and tie his Aunt Kate had dressed him in that morning. He was eight years old, just old enough to truly understand the loss. He envied his little sister, who was only barely a year old. She would never remember their mother, never feel the ache deep in her bones to hear their mother’s voice again, or to see her smile. He knew, though, that his baby sister would have a different kind of hole in her heart. He looked up at the sky from that rickety wooden porch, and wished with everything in him that the universe would bring his mother back. 

The universe didn’t listen. 

Two years later, he found himself looking at more stars than he’d ever seen before. He was in his mother’s sister’s backyard in Georgia, and it seemed that there were more stars than room in the sky. The back door slammed, and Jonah jumped. Technically he wasn’t supposed to be out there, as it was past his bedtime. 

“Jonah,” Aunt Kate’s soft drawl, so similar to her sister’s, cut through the night. 

“Aunt Kate,” Jonah swallowed. “I’m sorry, I’ll go back inside and go to bed, I just—”

“You miss her,” Aunt Kate sighed. “I know, believe me, I know.” 

Jonah smiled sadly. “She used to point out constellations to me.” 

“Rosie always loved the stars.” 

“I wished on a shooting star, you know,” Jonah’s voice was quiet. “for her to come back.” 

“Oh, Kiddo,” Aunt Kate shook her head. 

“I just miss her so much,” Jonah managed. “And I miss when Dad was happy.” His father had been living in a fog for the past two years. He didn’t even care when Jonah wore the wrong jersey for his entire baseball season. 

Aunt Kate nodded. “I know, sweetie.” 

“It’s not fair.”

“No, it’s not,” Aunt Kate conceded. “But you know she’s still here, in spirit.” 

Jonah looked up at her petulantly, arms crossed and brow furrowed. “That’s what everyone says. It doesn’t mean anything.” 

“Well,” Aunt Kate pursed her lips. “How about this? She loved the stars so much, and now she’s up there with them, shining so bright, watching over us.”

Jonah blinked up as his aunt. “She’s really up there? In the stars?” 

Aunt Kate nodded. “And she always will be.” 

He wished on shooting stars often after that, hoping his mother would hear him from wherever she was up there. But the older her got, the less he thought about it, the duller the pain got. Of course, the stars would always belong to his mother, but over time it hurt less to look up at the night sky, and he found himself wishing on shooting stars a lot less often. Instead he focused on school, and sports. He named his ultimate frisbee team for the thing his mother loved most—well, that, and his favorite animal. (Which, honestly, was a lot more confusing for people than he realized it would be.) His father remarried. He made new friends, including a boy with soft brown eyes and an even softer smile. 

If anyone besides Cyrus has asked Jonah to watch a meteor shower, he would’ve turned them down. He almost turned Cyrus down, if he’s completely honest. The idea of watching the stars with someone, after all that time, it felt strange. But Cyrus was so excited, and that alone made Jonah want to say yes. Besides, he reasoned, his mom would want him to keep looking at the stars, to make new memories in their light. So, the next thing he knew, he was making awful puns about s’mores and planning a campout. 

Of course, the night got off to a bit of a rocky start, but wild animals trying to eat their charcuterie plate aside, Jonah couldn’t help be endeared by the amount of effort Cyrus put into setting everything up. It was just so...so _Cyrus_. And when the meteors began to streak across the sky, Jonah forgot about the torn tent and the lost meats and cheeses. It was breathtaking. They sat in the chairs Cyrus had put out, and watched in silence for a minute. Jonah thought of his mother, up there in the stars with a front row seat, and smiled. 

“You know,” Cyrus said, breaking the silence. “This is kind of like a thousand shooting stars.” 

Jonah chuckled. “Do you think wishing on all these stars would make your wish more likely to come true?” 

Cyrus nodded approvingly. “It’s possible. Or you could wish for a bunch of different wishes, all at once. One of them is bound to come true.” 

“An interesting theory.” Jonah considered for a moment. “But I think that might be cheating.” 

Cyrus snorted. “Oh, I’m sorry, who died and made you the head of the Wishing On Shooting Stars Rule Committee?” 

“I’m just saying, it’s only supposed to be one wish.” 

“But it’s okay to wish the same wish on more than one star?” Cyrus argued. “Shouldn’t it be one wish per one star?” 

“Hmmm,” Jonah rubbed his chin thoughtfully, “I guess you’re right.” 

Cyrus grinned. “So, should we wish on some stars then?” 

Jonah nodded, looked back up at the stars, and then looked to the boy at his side. _I wish his hand wasn’t just next to mine, I wish I was holding it. I wish I could tell him how I feel. I wish he felt the same way. I wish I could kiss him. I wish it wasn’t so hard to find the right words._

“I wished for a lifetime supply of Baby Taters, what did you wish for?” 

“Cyrus! We can’t tell each other what we wished for!” Jonah swallowed down his panic. “Then our wishes won’t come true.” 

Cyrus rolled his eyes. “Fine.” 

“You know,” Jonah started, desperate to change the subject, “This is really fun. I used to stargaze all the time when I was younger. I forgot how fun it was.” 

“Used to?” Cyrus asked, immediately. “Why’d you stop?” 

Jonah froze. “Oh, uh.” He hadn’t actually mentioned his mother to any of his friends. They knew Anna was his step-mom, not his birth mother, but he’d always found it hard to open up about anything emotional. He preferred to be the happy-go-lucky Jonah Beck that so many people saw him as. But this was Cyrus, who not only knew about his panic attacks, but who knew how to calm him down, who never shied away from any of Jonah’s baggage so far. “I used to stargaze with my mom.” 

Cyrus’s eyes widened. “Your mom?” 

“Yeah.” Jonah bit his lip. “My mom loved the stars. She was an astrophysicist. She wanted me to love the stars, too.” He took a shaky breath, almost unable to continue. 

“You don’t have to tell me anything more than you want to.” Cyrus’s hand moved just slightly, so his pinky brushed against Jonah’s. 

Jonah gave Cyrus a small smile. “I want to, it’s just hard. I never have before.” 

“Oh.” Cyrus blinked twice. “I’m glad you trust me.” 

“Always, Cy,” Jonah’s voice was soft and quiet. He paused for a moment, gathering his words. Cyrus waited quietly and patiently. “My mom died when I was eight, and Jules was only a baby. It was probably the worst thing that’s ever happened to me. My dad completely lost it. She was the love of his life, I think. I don’t know what we would’ve done without my Aunt Kate holding us together.” 

“I’m so sorry, Jonah.” Cyrus’s brown eyes were big and full of sympathy. “I can’t even imagine going through that.” 

Jonah let out a heavy exhale. “It’s...mostly okay now. I love Anna, and so does my dad. But I haven’t stargazed since.” 

“Wow.” Cyrus breathed. “I’m glad you decided to stargaze with me.” 

“I’m glad, too.” Jonah felt a weight lifting off his shoulders. “I wish you could’ve met my mom. I think she would’ve loved you.” 

“Really?” 

“Yeah,” Jonah smirked. “She was a nerd, too.” 

Cyrus huffed. “Rude.” 

Jonah shrugged. “I speak only the truth.” 

“Says the guy who freaked out over meeting a professional Ultimate Frisbee player.” 

Jonah frowned. “That was one time!” 

Cyrus giggled softly, unknowingly taking Jonah’s breath away. “And who won’t tell me what he wished on a shooting star for.” 

“Alright, alright,” Jonah acquiesced. “We’re both nerds.” 

Cyrus grinned smugly. “That’s more like it.” 

Jonah didn’t say anything, and instead he looked back up at the stars. The meteor shower was beginning to taper off and slow down, which he figured meant it was time for them to head inside (since the tent was ripped) and sleep. “It looks like it’s ending.” 

“Yeah.” Cyrus nodded. “Is it silly to say I wish it would last forever?” 

Jonah’s heart clenched. “You do?” 

“I’m having a really good time...” Cyrus’s voice was quiet and hesitant. 

Jonah swallowed thickly. “Me too.” 

“Jonah…” Cyrus paused for a moment, wearing an unreadable expression. “I want to tell you something. But I don’t want to freak you out. Or make things weird.” 

Jonah furrowed his brow. “You know you can tell me anything, Cy.” 

Cyrus nodded and took a deep breath. “I like you.” 

Jonah blinked twice, but didn’t--couldn’t--speak, couldn’t even breathe. There was no way Cyrus could mean that how Jonah wished he meant it. 

“Like, I like-like you,” Cyrus added, voice hitching up. “I just...wanted to tell you. I’m sure you don’t feel the same, and that’s okay, I--” 

“I wished for you to kiss me,” Jonah blurted, his heart racing in his chest. “And to be able to hold your hand. I wished I could find the words to tell you how I feel.” 

Cyrus’s eyes widened in shock. “Oh.” 

“That’s the real reason I didn’t want to tell you what I wished for.” 

_“Oh.”_

They fell into a lingering silence, neither one sure if they could believe that their feelings were requited, wondering if maybe they were dreaming, until Cyrus broke the silence. 

“So...now what?” 

“Do you…” Jonah cleared his throat nervously. “Should we go on a date?” 

Cyrus blushed a light pink shade. “I’d like that.” 

Jonah grinned brightly. “Is dinner tomorrow night too soon?” 

Cyrus laughed. “Not at all.” 

“Is The Spoon okay?” Jonah asked hesitantly, “I’d take you somewhere fancier, but I can’t really afford it right now.” 

“Jonah,” Cyrus softened, his hand reaching out for Jonah’s and holding it tightly. “The Spoon sounds great. You don’t have to take me somewhere fancy. I don’t care where we go, I just care about spending time with you. Okay?” 

Jonah could feel his cheeks heating up. “Okay.” 

“It’s late,” Cyrus decided. “We should go in.” 

Jonah nodded, and let Cyrus guide him to his feet, never once letting go of his hand. They brought in the leftover marshmallows, chocolate, and graham crackers, but left the tent for the morning. Cyrus’s hand was warm and comforting in Jonah’s, and as they walked inside hand in hand, Jonah felt hopeful for the first time in a long time. 

The thing about wishes, is sometimes they come true.


End file.
